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Obsession with celebrity culture is driving people to perform DIY cosmetic surgery, an expert has warned.

In the worst case, a man gave himself a nose job with a chisel and replaced the cartilage he removed with a chicken bone, according to consultant psychiatrist Dr David Veale.

Others have cut their stomachs in DIY tummy tucks, and used glue to try to pin back their ears.

Dr Veale, who works at celebrity clinic the Priory, said the cult of fame was leading people to focus on looks and giving them a ‘totally distorted image of themselves’.

The most extreme cases are often blamed on body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a condition which affects more than 1million people in Britain and can make them constantly compare their appearance with models and TV stars.

DIY cosmetic surgery was used by the ‘most depressed and most desperate people’ but had increased in the past few years, Dr Veale said.

‘I have had women who have drawn what they think they look like and you wouldn’t believe how wrong they really are.’

He told a conference in Bristol: ‘The people who have lots of money can afford plastic surgery and then, as a result, are putting more of a focus on looks and outer beauty.’

Delegates called for plastic surgeons to work more closely with psychologists to protect BDD sufferers.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, of the Mental Health Foundation, said: ‘Celebrity life is not the same as that experienced by most of us and it’s important we don’t see what’s normal for celebrities as desirable in our everyday lives.’